Fall 2017 Happenings

Axé Bahia: The Power of Art in an Afro-Brazilian Metropolis. Photo courtesy of the Fowler Museum.

Axé Bahia: The Power of Art in an Afro-Brazilian Metropolis

This exhibition — the most comprehensive presentation of Bahian arts to date in the U.S. — explores the distinctive cultural role of the city of
Salvador, the coastal capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia.

When a comet appears in the sky over the city of Cádiz, the nihilistic town drunkard, Nada, warns that it is an evil omen. Yet the government forbids people from acknowledging that they’ve seen a comet, and a chorus parrots, “Nothing is happening, nothing will happen.” Thus begins The State of Siege, a modern myth created by Albert Camus that was originally staged in 1948 by Jean-Louis Barrault. Both prescient and poetic, this rare piece — restaged by the internationally renowned French company Théâtre de la Ville — is a distorted reflection of a nightmarish future in which a city is reduced to silence and submission under the leadership of a character called La Peste (“The Plague”).

This 40-foot-long “weaving” is made of strips of sun-exposed and patterned fabric crossed by lengths of delicate drawings of sacred plants on drafting film. Siegel, a Los Angeles–based artist, developed the project during a research residency in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Itaparica.

When a reclusive librarian discovers a 113-year overdue book in the night slot, curiosity compels him to pursue the borrower. His search for
answers takes him on a whirlwind journey on which he discovers instead the great mysteries of humanity.

Members of Los Angeles–based dance company AteNine were artists-in-residence at UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance last year. Their new work, calling glenn, is a collaboration with composer Glenn Kotche, best known as the percussionist for the rock band Wilco. AteNine is regarded as one of the most important emerging dance companies on the West Coast.

This talented group of Mexican musicians — known for their virtuosity and innovative interpretations — brings contemporary music from Mexico and Latin America to audiences around the world. The result is a unique panorama of work often influenced by literature, theater, visual arts and new technologies.